Michael Cohen's book.

[BlueDawn]

I received Michael Cohen’s book yesterday and started reading it late last night. I am about three-fourths of the way through the book.

I am totally disgusted with what Cohen did as a lawyer for Trump for ten years.

I actually had felt a bit sorry for Cohen when he testified before Congress, but I have lost any empathy I once felt toward him and am now just sick to my stomach reading about the schemes, dishonesty, cruelty, lawbreaking, and dirty machinations that took place. In fact, I had to just put the book down and take a break because I am heartsick and disgusted.....and sad, sad to the point of despair.

I am curious what are others’ opinions of this book.

Let me say that I have ordered and read so many books written about Trump, including Mary Trump’s, Rick Wilson’s, Philip Rucker’s, and Bob Woodward’s, to name a few. Though I was often saddened, disillusioned, angry, and/or disgusted reading about Trump in these books, I didn’t experience the profound visceral revulsion intermixed with rage, helplessness, and dismay that I have experienced while reading Cohen’s book.

I have loathed Trump from the beginning, but I never believed that I could access an even deeper level of hatred and loathing within myself. I actually thought I was going to throw up at one point, that is how sickening I found Cohen’s obsequious sycophantic toadying behavior and Trump’s vicious, sadistic, cruel behavior.

I asked my husband, “How? How did these people sleep at night? They are beyond horrible.”

Maybe Michael will redeem himself in the latter part of his book. I guess I will find out later tonight when I finish reading it.

I cannot identify or wrap my mind around anything these people ever thought or did. My husband tells me that “this is how people operate” and he is not surprised by the stories I read to him. I just shake my head in disbelief.

I just sat alone, thinking over what I had read, and I couldn’t help but feel tears start streaming down my face. I am sad. Sad that people this uncaring and cruel walk about on this earth.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I'm about halfway through it, and I'm finding it fascinating

with respect to the psychology underlying the weird attachment he had to Trump (and similarly, the book Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff wrote about Melania). He does seem to be offering an explanation and a mea culpa; I'm not sure he understands it himself but at least he admits he did bad stuff. I suppose sitting in the pokey for awhile can make a guy reflect on how he got there - I don't feel sorry for him, though, because he chose to do what he did and he could have walked away. His wife and daughter repeatedly nagged at him to quit working for Trump because they found Trump gross and nasty (he ogled the 15-year-old daughter and asked her to kiss him. Cohen was disgusted but he said and did nothing. So how does a person fall into that kind of spell, where their boss can hit on their young daughter and they don't even say anything?)

Cohen isn't a good writer. His style is overwrought and full of clunky metaphors and words that don't quite work. He could have used an editor, but maybe one wasn't available where he was at the time. However, he's a pretty good story-teller, and I'm finding the book very interesting even though it's not telling me anything I didn't already understand about Trump, which is that he's a sociopath who really doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself and actually enjoys crushing anyone he considers to be a competitor or an adversary. And Cohen, evidently a psychological chameleon, took on those characteristics while he was working for Trump. He was so flattered and excited at being part of what he perceived as the small group of rich, important, powerful people in Trump's orbit that he was willing to do anything to become part of it and stay there. While he was already doing quite well financially, he wanted to be the guy that does the big deals, runs with the big dogs. It's as he said: When he was a kid he was impressed by the mobsters who hung out at his uncle's club. He wanted to be like them, the guy nobody fucked with.

It's a sad story, though like I said, I don't feel sorry for Cohen because he always could have made other choices. But it's an interesting study in how a weak person can be seduced and controlled by a sociopath. Trump surrounds himself with people like Cohen, people who want a slice of that power, and once they're allowed into that circle are so afraid of being thrown out of it that they'll do anything, no matter how reprehensible, to stay part of it.

[KewlKat]

2. Our book just arrived. Hubby gets to read it first...may be awhile before I get a turn

[Cracklin Charlie]

3. Did you see his interview on Rachel?

I can’t stand a giggler. Especially about very, very serious matters.

He doesn’t seem that remorseful.

[madaboutharry]

4. I just started it and I am not that far,

But I think he is remorseful and ashamed.

I have always believed in redemption. We will see soon enough if Michael Cohen is worthy of a 2nd chance. I am willing to wait to see what he does with his life when his sentence is over.